1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to personal communications with communications devices. More particularly, the invention relates to transferring information within communications systems using one or more communications devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Communications systems in today's mobile society involve numerous communications devices, including telephones, cellular telephones, pagers, personal computers, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), modems, facsimile machines, and the networks, signal switching stations, paging stations and affiliated services that maintain the communication relationships between these devices. Advancing mobile phone technology and radio paging systems have done much to reduce inconveniences associated with varying locations of one or more of these communications devices during use.
Important to reducing inconveniences within communications systems having mobile users is a network or system of networks that is readily accessible and contains the most current information regarding the communications devices. Such information includes, e.g., the identity and location of a particular communications device at a given time, and the actual content of the information being transmitted by or to such devices, whether it be voice or data information.
For example, in a paging system, a mobile individual carries a portable pager. Typically, the pager is assigned a paging number and is capable of receiving a radio signal. When a caller dials the pager's number, a radio signal is broadcast from a paging service or similar location and the pager responds to the paging signal by activating an audible and/or visual alarm. The alarm serves to alert the mobile individual that an attempt to two way contact the individual has been made.
Many pagers support two-way communications, i.e., the pagers are equipped to transmit to as well as receive radio paging signals from a paging service. Information transmitted from pagers to a paging service includes, e.g., the identity and location of the pager at the time of the transmission. The accuracy of determining the location of the pager is based on existing and future network capabilities.
In addition to establishing communications with other devices, many communications devices are equipped to perform other functions independent of other communications devices including the storage, processing and dissemination of information. For example, personal computers (including desktop and laptop computers) and PDAs have relatively extensive information processing and storage features.
Typically, the PDAs and personal computers are equipped with phonebook electrical and scheduling capabilities. Often, the information contained therein is accessible by external expedients. For example, an electronic phonebook entry can be accessed manually and transmitted via a modem to place a telephone call. Similarly, a scheduling entry can be displayed or activated on a particular day and at a time corresponding to the device's internal clock or its access to an external clock.
It would be desirable to improve the transfer and maintenance of information within existing and future communications systems in a manner that enchances the accuracy currentness of the information within the communications systems.